[CONTENTID1]CHAPTER ONE[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Eunji squared her shoulders and looked at the tall, imposing building that would be her home and school for the next ten months. The building looked like a medieval palace, a stone leviathan that sprawled across acres and acres of land. Giant grey spires soared into the sky, black pennants displaying a compass of the four elements snapping in the breeze.

            She looked at the other students around her, either carrying luggage in or standing in groups, saying farewell to family members. With a sigh, she shouldered her black duffle bag and readjusted her grip on the handle of her matching suitcase. How on earth was she going to get her heavy bags up those steep stone steps?

            “Come on, Eunji,” she said to herself.

            “Need some help?” a voice asked.

            She jumped and whirled around. The voice belonged to a boy around her height, with wavy brown hair and chartreuse green eyes. His eyes danced with amusement as he watched her with interest, and he smiled, revealing pointed teeth.

            “You’re a vampire,” she said bluntly, voice awed.

            “Nothing gets past you, does it?” he asked with a laugh. “But yes, I’m an undead blood er. Name’s DJ.” DJ offered his hand.

            “I’m Jung Eunji, but you can call me Ji,” she replied with a warm smile as she shook his hand.

            “I was subtly offering to take your bags, but awkward human greetings are fine as well,” he said, voice tinged with amusement.

            She blushed. “Oh,” she said, quickly handing him the handle of her suitcase. There was a blur of motion and color and DJ was suddenly standing at the top of the stairs.

            DJ laughed again, his eyes brightening in the sunlight. “You coming?”

            Eunji smiled and started walking up the stairs. “You’re too fast.”

            He returned her smile when she finally made it to the top. “So what are you?” he asked, nonchalantly spinning her suitcase around a small cluster of students.

            “I’m sorry?” she asked in confusion, looking up at the vaulted stone entryway.

            “This is a boarding school for ‘creatures of magic,’” he explained. “So what are you?”

            She tucked an amethyst curl behind a pointed ear. “I’m a bunch of things. Part phoenix, fey, mermaid, vampire, and werewolf.”

            “So you’re another one of those with a messed u